The Tiger and the Crocodile
by Arden Tenjou
Summary: Zoro is the first to arrive in Sabaody. The last person he expects to meet there is his former enemy, Crocodile. They end up going for a tense evening drinking together, and then Crocodile reveals something about himself that shocks Zoro. After that, the conversation continues in Crocodile's hotel room. CrocodilexZoro.


The Tiger and the Crocodile

Zoro was annoyed to find he was the first to arrive back in Saboady. Well, "annoyed" might not be the right word. Two years was a long time. Once he found out what had happened to Luffy, to be honest, even one day would have been too long. At length he managed to stop worrying about the others. If Kuma had done the same to them as he had to Zoro, then Zoro was sure they'd got the message and were training like he had been. But as the time grew closer for them to meet up again, much though he believed in all of them, he couldn't help being nervous. Excited, too. Plus, he was keen to demonstrate how much he'd changed and improved. More than that cook, for certain.

He found a place to stay, and after that he quickly set about blowing all the money he'd got from Takanome on booze. He was walking down the main street in one of the nicer groves when he nearly bumped into someone he thought he'd never see again.

An eight-foot crocodile was currently scowling hatefully down at him, his appearance hardly changed from when Zoro knew him, almost three years ago. The former Shichibukai's lip twitched. "Ugh," he grunted, in his impossibly deep voice. "It's you."

Zoro's hand was already on Kitetsu's hilt, and he drew it a fraction of an inch.

Crocodile rolled his eyes, then waved a hand dismissively. Talking around his cigar as usual he continued, "Knock it off. Do I look like I'm itching for a fight?"

Zoro didn't retreat.

Crocodile grunted in annoyance. "Fine, slice me then. I gather you've learned haki since we met."

Zoro still wasn't too sure, but by his facial expression he admitted that he had.

Crocodile sighed and breathed out cigar smoke. "As it happens, there are things I'd be interested in talking about with you. I was on my way to get a drink. How about it?"

Zoro considered. Then, in his typical emotionless logic, he sheathed Kitetsu. He replied smoothly, "You're buying."

Crocodile's lip curled again. "Insolent little pup," he growled.

They entered an alley and went down a few steps to a quiet bar that appeared friendly to pirates. Not that there were many here than objected to them, but since the war, pirates had been much less desirable clientele. Crocodile selected a booth near the window. Crocodile ordered red wine, and since the other man was buying, Zoro had sake instead of his usual beer.

"You nearly killed my subordinate," Crocodile said off-handedly.

Zoro's right hand again drew kitetsu just a centimeter.

This prompted another roll of the former warlord's eyes. "It was a compliment, Christ. You think I brought you down here to settle things? Have some manners, this is someone else's establishment."

Zoro didn't generally employ that kind of logic so he felt a bit sheepish. He accepted the sake bottle and cup when they arrived. Crocodile accepted his wine.

"Salute," he said, with barely a glance, and drank.

"Nh," Zoro grunted, half-heartedly raising his cup in deference. He took a drink, and pretended he knew what "salute" meant.

Crocodile's expression soured again as he tasted the wine, but he made no comment. "But you survived. I'm actually pleased to hear that. All the other members of your little carnival show still with us?"

Zoro considered whether he should say anything at all to this man. But he was paying for his drink, after all, and he didn't sense any immediate ill intent from him. "Don't know yet. We're meant to meet up soon. So far, all I know is, Luffy's still alive anyway."

Crocodile shrugged with a smirk. "At least he was when that picture was taken two years ago."

Zoro narrowed his eyes with distaste, but he decided not to let Crocodile bait him. It was this man's forte, after all. He took another drink of sake. "Come to think of it…I saw in one of those newspaper articles that you were with him in the war. I found it a bit hard to believe at the time. Is it true?"

"Tch," Crocodile commented, taking another drink and again adopting an unpleasant expression. "The whole thing lasted less than a day. I'd call that a battle, not a war."

"Everyone calls it a war, these days."

"Newspapers like to exaggerate."

Zoro took another drink. "But it's true, though? You were with Luffy?"

Crocodile's defenses seemed to lower a bit at that. He swished his wine as he thought. "For a while, yes."

"You saw what happened?"

Crocodile abruptly met Zoro's eyes with an expression that seemed a mix of irritation and perhaps a trace of pain. "I gather you're the most practical in that group, apart from my old associate," a scowl there, "but even you don't have the ability to cope with what happened that day. Your captain didn't."

"What did you say?" Zoro growled, his hackles up.

"The last I saw that day, he was wailing to the sky, holding his dead brother's body. He had on an expression the like of which I have never seen before or since. It was obvious his mind was gone. The grief was too great." Crocodile paused to flick cigar ash into the ashtray on the table. "Then finally he stopped wailing. And he just sat there. The life drained out of his eyes. And that was how he stayed, as far as I know. That old fish Jinbei had to carry him away, risking his own life in doing so, I might add."

Crocodile leaned down to look firmly into Zoro's eyes. "You and I both know that he may be a moron, but your captain has a nearly unbreakable spirit. That war broke it." Crocodile leaned back in his seat again. "Which is why I was as relieved as you when he appeared in the paper a few weeks later. Surprised, but relieved." He scoffed and swished his wine in annoyance. "Mostly I was just glad he put such a thorn in the side of the marines. Somebody's got to."

Zoro was taken aback hearing Crocodile talk in this almost human way. For so long he'd thought of him as just a ruthless war monger. Now he seemed almost like a reluctant ally. But Zoro didn't want to be taken in only to be deceived again. He'd have a few drinks with the guy, and just try not to get in a fight.

"All right," Zoro said. "So why did you help at all? Okay, you hate the marines, but to me you don't seem like the kind of guy who'd stick his neck out for a reason like that."

Crocodile rolled his eyes. "Don't remind me. I was after Whitebeard's head, obviously. One of many failures that day. You are the dim one in the group, aren't you?"

Zoro blew right past that. "Fair enough. Why help Luffy then?"

Crocodile stopped at that one. Then he fixed Zoro with a dark glare. "Didn't I just get done telling you everything about that day was complicated?" he growled in a dangerous tone. "It's not as if I had a room full of allies to pick from and he was my number one choice."

"What was it then? It's complicated, I get it. So what? I've got time."

A vein in Crocodile's head twitched, but eventually he sighed. "I did owe him a little for getting me out of prison."

Zoro's eyebrows shot up. "He got you out of prison?! What the hell did he do that for?!"

Crocodile gave a cruel smirk. "It's not like he had much choice either. He needed an extra pair of hands, and it was me or the worst scum of the Grand Line, down in that chamber."

"What do you mean 'or'?" Zoro added, slightly impishly.

Crocodile's jaw clenched. "You seem to be looking for a fight, swordsman."

Zoro shook his head, waving a hand in a very lackluster gesture of apology. "No, no. Please, continue."

Crocodile continued to glare at him, but nevertheless he replied, "Not much else to tell. Not about our motives, anyway. He helped me escape and led me to Whitebeard, in return for me helping him out of the prison itself and also not killing him once we got there."

Zoro took time to think to himself, feeling lots of nice chemical reactions from the alcohol in his blood. "I see," he said. "Then…thank you."

Crocodile blinked, clearly flabbergasted.

Zoro shrugged a bit. "You may be an amoral ruthless killer, but you kept your word. You helped Luffy. And as far as we know he's still alive. Even if it was incidental on your part, as one of his crew, I thank you for that."

Crocodile clearly didn't know what to say. Zoro thought he saw some color touch his cheeks before anger rolled over his features. "I didn't do it to earn the gratitude of a little upstart like you!" Crocodile roared.

A smirk tugged at Zoro's lips. Crocodile glanced at the shocked faces of the other patrons and smoothed back several hairs that had come out of his neat, slicked-back mane. "All right, then. What about you?"

Zoro stared blankly. "What about me?"

"Everyone's dying to know," Crocodile continued, gaining back his confident bearing. "Where have you all been for two years? How did you get separated in the first place?" He grinned. "And how in all hell did you survive and attack by that psychopath Kizaru?"

Zoro thought for a time about how he should answer. But he had been given a story. He supposed he owed one too. "I take it you know what led up to Kizaru attacking us here, two years ago?"

Crocodile shrugged, taking a sip of wine. "As much as anybody, I guess. Something about a Tenryuubito who got his panties in a twist."

"Then you might know we had a run-in once with Kuma of the Shichibukai already."

Crocodile's eyes narrowed. "What about him?"

"Well. You were a Shichibukai. You should know his ability."

This seemed to have the warlord stumped. "Maybe I do…" He watched Zoro for a long time with extreme disbelief. Eventually he voiced his incredulous question, "Are you trying to tell me that Kuma tossed you? All of you?"

"Far as I know. He tossed me first, so I don't know for sure about the others. But I do get that feeling."

"Then I understand it even less. Tossing people isn't something he does to capture or kill people. And in those circumstances, it would almost seem like he was trying to save you."

Zoro nodded. "I think so too."

Crocodile seemed immensely displeased by this information. "Why would Kuma the Tyrant do something like that?"

"I don't know, to be honest. But there was another strange thing that happened the last time we met him."

Feeling unusually open, Zoro took a deep breath, and was able to recount most of what happened between him and Kuma at Thriller Bark. Crocodile listened with a displeased frown for the most part, though it may also have been confusion or interest (his facial expressions tended to blend together unless he was openly angry).

When Zoro finished, he realized he was fighting a tremor in his hands. It had been a long time, but it was still one of the most painful experiences of his entire life.

Crocodile was silent for a long time. He had also stopped drinking his wine at some point, just holding on to the stem of the glass as he listened. Now he turned the glass absently. "Hmph," he commented eventually.

"What?"

"I was just thinking, how disgustingly noble of you."

"Oh," Zoro said, not sure what he was meant to say in reply to that.

Crocodile stared into the distance for a while, and at length he stroked his chin. "This is hard to understand. Kuma wasn't named 'The Tyrant' without good reason, I can tell you. There should have been no reason for him not to kill Mugiwara on Thriller Bark. Or at least you."

Zoro shrugged. "Yeah, well. I'm not going to punch a gift horse in the mouth."

"Well, neither would I, in your position. But it's disturbing," Crocodile said, frowning. "I don't like not knowing what Kuma was thinking. I guess no one will ever know, now."

Zoro's eyes shot open. "What?"

Crocodile examined this reaction for a moment. "Not that I care, but something happened to him, even before the war. He's lost what little personality he had remaining, after Vegapunk's slicing and dicing."

Zoro didn't really understand most of that, but he gathered that something bad had happened to Kuma. Would they really never know why he had helped them?

Without Zoro noticing, Crocodile had been observing him for some time. At length, he swished his wine a bit, and then downed the last of it with another grimace. "I'm tired of this atmosphere. Let's go somewhere else."

Zoro was a little confused, but he figured he had nothing better to do. And if he was paying for Zoro's drinks, he had all the more reason to follow the older man. Next, Crocodile took him to a slightly swankier wine bar. This time, Crocodile ordered an Amarone. When he tasted it, he closed his eyes in satisfaction, though with his particular physiognomy the gesture was a little disturbing. Zoro didn't particularly like wine, so he stuck with the house red.

Their conversation was lighter after that. Crocodile seemed content to listen to whatever Zoro wanted to talk about, though he didn't have much to say on his part. But at one point, as Zoro happened to mention Robin, he gained a slightly wicked grin.

"I meant to ask. How is my former partner? At least the last time you saw her."

Zoro nodded. "All right. Ever since…hm, Enies Lobby I guess, she started calling us by our names instead of our job descriptions. Sometimes, anyway."

Crocodile laughed in his characteristically haughty and dangerous way. "She called you by your job descriptions? I've never known her to do that. She called me by name quite a lot, even when I asked her not to."

Zoro didn't really want to hear about Robin's time with Crocodile. Even thinking about it made him remember her face when she was crying for Luffy to save her from the CP9. A woman as graceful as Robin should never have had to cry like that. It was a lifetime with men like this one that hurt her that way.

"So you don't have a girl, huh? Sir Crocodile," Zoro added the last part with derision.

Suddenly, the color drained from Crocodile's face. "Why would you ask that?" he asked, surprisingly Zoro by his uncertain expression.

Zoro's eyebrows raised. "I don't know. Because Robin is a girl. I just wondered if you treated all women like that."

Crocodile's eyebrow twitched. "Like what?" he sneered.

"By impaling them with your hook there," he indicated what remained of Crocodile's left hand.

"Hey. Up until that point, I was perfectly pleasant with her. She's probably the only person who had my respect at that time."

"Yet you still tried to kill her."

"After she tried to do the same to me, yes."

Zoro considered this. "Fair enough, I guess."

Crocodile was silent for a moment. Zoro had felt a shift in his mood ever since he brought up the topic. "And you?"

"Hm?"

"No girl?"

"Oh." Zoro's mind, as it usually did whenever he was asked this question, turned back to Kuina. "No. I only ever had one, really. She's dead."

Crocodile watched him with the same expression he'd had while listening to Zoro's tale of Thriller Bark. "Hmph."

"What?"

"I was just thinking you're one unlucky bastard." He took a drink of his wine.

Zoro shrugged. "I guess. Aren't we all?"

Crocodile glanced down at the table for a while. "How are you at keeping secrets, swordsman brat?"

Zoro twitched a bit at being referred to as a "brat", but he replied, "I forget things as soon as people tell me."

Crocodile mulled this over for a time, then he sighed. "I'm gay," he said.

Zoro couldn't help it, his eyebrows shot up at that. He stayed frozen for a few seconds. Then eventually, "Oh," was all he could come up with.

"That's all you have to say?" Crocodile demanded.

"Well give me a chance, it's the first time I've ever heard that sentence."

"What?"

"What?! It's not like the world is crawling with-!" He blushed and said at an almost inaudible volume, "-with _gays_ okay?"

"It fucking is," Crocodile replied, dully.

"It fucking is not! Okay, maybe that transvestite guy who worked for you. I would believe that."

"Ah. Mr. Two. That's a pass," Crocodile grumbled, sipping his wine again.

"I don't blame you. But, well…what is there to like about another man? I don't really get it…"

Crocodile scowled at him for a moment. "You really do have all the grace and delicacy of a baked potato."

"I'm trying!"

"Yes, I can see that. All right. Tell me what you like in women, then I'll try to explain it."

Zoro blushed a bit. "I don't…why would…"

Crocodile raised his eyebrows. "You're telling me you really are as monkish as you seem? Wait, you're not a virgin are you?" Crocodile started to grin. "No, surely not, not Mugiwara's brave and intrepid swordsman."

Zoro went red as a cherry, which was ironic. He wasn't able to say anything, and this of course brought a wicked smile to Crocodile's face.

"You are, aren't you?"

"I'm not interested," Zoro finally said, trying to control his blushing. "I have more important things to do than worry about petty romance."

Crocodile considered. "Which is another way of saying you're too stiff around women."

"Shut up." Zoro took a drink.

The other man laughed. "That's great. You're too stiff, and I'm too repulsive. We make a great pair."

Zoro glanced up at that assessment. "Repulsive?"

Crocodile scoffed. "I have no delusions about how I look." He vaguely indicated the huge scar which divided his face. "Even if I did, few people are ballsy enough to brave my personality."

"You mean because you might kill them?"

"Well, that too."

Zoro smirked. "What else? You really possessive or something?"

Crocodile's mirth disappeared. "And extremely jealous."

"Well, that's because you have no confidence in yourself," Zoro said, feeling much more open-minded as the alcohol started to affect him. "If you learn to love yourself, you'll feel much more secure.

Crocodile gave him a stunned look. "Now I'm getting love advice from a monk," he grumbled, without a trace of amusement.

"I'm not a monk."

Crocodile leaned forward, looming over him. "Fine. You still haven't told me what you like about women."

Zoro's blush returned. "What I like about women?"

"For the eighteenth time, yes."

Zoro shyly pushed his glass around on the table as he thought. "Okay. Um…I like…strong women I guess."

"What a surprise."

"You asked!"

Crocodile seemed to lose interest a little, and he sighed. "Well, actually I was more talking about physical attractiveness. Being strong isn't really exclusive to women."

Zoro had to concede that that was true. "Physical attractiveness?" he murmured.

Crocodile rolled his eyes. "If you don't say it, I'm just going to guess. And I don't think you'll like it."

"Well…" Zoro thought for a long time, feeling pressured. "Dark hair."

"Good, but still not exclusive to women. What about tits? Legs? Asses?"

Zoro was red as a fire hydrant. "I don't know about those things!"

Now a satisfied smirk crept over Crocodile's frightening features. "You realize, what you're telling me is that it doesn't necessarily have to be a woman."

Zoro's blush deepened, as he frowned, trying to reason out whether this was true. "I…don't know. But it's all the same. Man or woman, I don't have time for it."

Crocodile leaned in again. "Make time," he said, and to Zoro's shock, he hooked his leg around both Zoro's leg and his chair, and whipped him around so Zoro was sitting just inches from him now. Zoro was a bit frozen stiff at this point. Then Crocodile leaned down and whispered in his rumbling deep voice, "When was the last time someone other than you touched you down there?"

Zoro let out a small breath of shock, partly because he could feel Crocodile's hand on his knee. But Crocodile stopped at the next moment, because he could feel cold steel against his wrist under the table.

Though Zoro was blushing and a little shaken up, he muttered, "You want to lose the other one?"

Crocodile just smirked. "Go ahead."

Zoro felt his grip loosen. He knew as well as Crocodile did that he didn't have the urge to kill him right now. And Zoro's swordsmanship depended on his nerves, which were normally unbreakable. Zoro had fallen into a world he didn't understand now, and seemed to be falling further still.

"My hotel is just around the corner," Crocodile's low voice rumbled.

Zoro blushed badly. "You brought me here because of that, didn't you?"

Crocodile sighed a bit. "In a moment of sentimentality, I happened to be a little moved by your story. But now you've got me a bit riled up." His hand moved slowly up Zoro's knee, heedlessly receiving a small cut as he did so. "You shouldn't have told me you were a virgin," Crocodile whispered, sending shivers down Zoro's spine.

At some point, earlier in the conversation, Zoro had already sensed in the back of his mind what Crocodile had been intending. Probably all along. And he had to admit to himself that he could have left earlier. He still could now. But he didn't. On the contrary, the large hand on his leg was alighting desires that he had almost never succumbed to. Perhaps being away from his crew for two years had changed him. Either way…

"Are you coming?" Crocodile asked him. Zoro actually thought he saw a little trepidation in Crocodile's dark eyes as he asked.

Zoro swallowed. He was still unsure. His body told him to go. His mind was still wrapping around the reality.

Crocodile had waited long enough it seemed. He stood up. Zoro moved to stop him, worried he was leaving without him, but then Crocodile yanked him up by his arm and stared darkly at him. He tossed some cash on the table and then led Zoro outside. Zoro thought they were going to his hotel, but Crocodile immediately ducked into a quiet ally, and slammed Zoro up against the wall.

Zoro's heart was racing. Crocodile looked down at him, breathing hard. He swallowed, seeming hesitant for a moment. Then he captured Zoro's mouth in a brutal kiss. Zoro couldn't help making a surprised noise. It wasn't his first kiss, but this was the first time he'd felt someone's desire through a kiss. It seemed to be flooding into him, and he knew his body was reacting.

Crocodile mauled his mouth with kisses, and Zoro's voice started to rise in between desperate kisses. Crocodile was breathing hard, and seemed spurred on by Zoro's reactions. Finally Crocodile broke away, and they each stared at one another, panting for a moment. Then Crocodile took him by the arm once again, and this time he did lead him to the hotel.

It didn't take Crocodile a single breath after Zoro shut the door behind them to grab him up in his arms and attack him with kisses again. But much though Zoro was unsure, his body was starting to wake up and tell him what to do. As Crocodile's long tongue entered his mouth, he moaned and allowed it to twine with his. Crocodile's fingers dug into his back, and Zoro was amazed that somehow his hook hadn't touched him. Desire started to burn inside of Zoro, and the next time Crocodile's lips retreated, he snatched them with his own. Crocodile grunted in surprise, but then sank into Zoro's kiss, pulling Zoro's hips closer against his own.

"Is sex always like this?" Zoro managed to gasp.

"Hell fucking no," Crocodile grunted, and claimed Zoro's lips again.

They eventually moved over to the bed. Crocodile easily tossed Zoro onto it, though Zoro was not light. Then he unhurriedly slipped his fur coat off his shoulders. While still watching Zoro intently, he began to remove his cravat, then his shirt, then his undershirt. Zoro sat up and hesitantly followed his lead, slipping off his kaftan. He didn't understand how just watching each other undress could be so exciting.

He could see Crocodile's breathing quicken as Zoro's bare chest was revealed. Crocodile continued by loosening and removing his belt, while Zoro removed his haramaki. Zoro set aside his swords, and to Zoro's surprise, Crocodile unscrewed his hook, removed the sling that attached it to his arm and set them aside as well. Crocodile's missing left hand was just a stump of flesh now. Zoro thought it made him seem more human. They removed their pants at the same time, and Crocodile slipped off his socks. Now that they were both in their underwear, Crocodile pushed Zoro back down onto the bed.

Zoro's heart was pounding in his ears. Crocodile was just so brutally sexy. He'd never noticed before. The older man stared at him for a time, then without warning, reached his hand down Zoro's boxers and gripped his cock. Zoro gasped, and his head fell back on the pillows.

"Jesus," Crocodile murmured, his eyes not leaving Zoro's face. "What the hell is a monk like you doing looking like that?"

"Like…what?" Zoro grunted, trying to concentrate even though a large hand was stroking his cock.

"Like a relatively talented porn star."

"You…dick," Zoro managed.

"No…" Crocodile replied, removing his hand from Zoro's crotch briefly. Zoro tried not to look disappointed. Crocodile picked up Zoro's left hand and shoved it down his own boxers. Zoro went bright red. He was huge. "For that, you want this. Want to try your hand at a hand job?" Crocodile asked with a predatory grin.

Zoro blushed even more, but he slowly began moving his hand along Crocodile's cock. To his surprise, he was sure he saw Crocodile's eyelids flutter a bit, and color rise to his cheeks. Somehow, that was very satisfying. But in the next moment, Crocodile returned to his earlier task and utterly broke Zoro's concentration. Zoro tried to keep his hand moving, but just then, Crocodile leaned down and took Zoro's earrings into his mouth. Zoro shuddered with a moan. He didn't know his ears were sensitive.

Crocodile was completely leading Zoro around now. Once he had his fill of teasing Zoro's ear, he paid some attention to his neck, purposefully giving Zoro a dark hickey where his clothing wouldn't cover it. Then he moved down his chest, kissing and licking. Zoro was panting and twitching every now and then with sensation; his body felt on fire. Crocodile bit down on Zoro's left nipple, causing the swordsman to jump and arch his back. Zoro couldn't reach his cock anymore, but Crocodile kept going anyway. Then slowly, slowly, he made his way down Zoro's ribs and stomach, and pulled his boxers down with his teeth.

As soon as he realized what Crocodile was going to do, Zoro gasped. He felt his cock harden in spite of himself. Then Crocodile's large, dangerous-looking mouth surrounded his cock and took him all the way to the hilt. Zoro cried out, gripping the sheets with both hands. He didn't even realize his hips were absently thrusting inside the wet warmth of Crocodile's mouth.

Crocodile briefly lifted his head to say, "Go ahead and cum if you want."

However, that was the wrong thing to say to Zoro. At the implication that Zoro would somehow be unable to control himself, Zoro's competitive side reared its head, and he decided right then that he was going to make Crocodile cum first. He scowled, grabbed Crocodile's head and thrust in hard several times. Crocodile choked and gasped as soon as Zoro let him go, and he looked up at Zoro with a trace of annoyance. Though, not as much as Zoro would have thought.

"What's that look for?" Crocodile asked him.

Then Zoro lifted up the larger man with hardly any effort and tossed him onto his back so Zoro was now on top.

Crocodile smirked confidently. "You going to show me how it's done, virgin?"

"Yes," Zoro said simply, and he followed his instincts, running his hands passionate up and down Crocodile's heavily scarred chest, then removing his underwear.

Crocodile didn't seem pleased by this, evidently just as macho and competitive as Zoro, but he let Zoro continue on the assumption that the younger man really didn't know what he was doing. He watched Zoro while propped up on his elbows. Zoro slowly stroked his cock. But now he was in trouble, because even if he'd known how to pleasure a man, he wasn't sure he could actually go through with it. Still, his stubbornness prevented him from backing out now. He hesitantly licked the other man's large cock.

Crocodile closed his eyes with a soft outward breath. Zoro glanced up at him briefly.

Then Zoro returned his attention to Crocodile's cock, licking from top to bottom several times. He ran his tongue along the seam between the other man's balls, knowing he was sensitive there himself. He felt the Crocodile shiver, and looked up to see his brows furrowing in a tight expression. Crocodile still had his eyes closed, but his breath had become harsher. Zoro couldn't deny the fact that he liked seeing the ruthless man react this way. So, he took a breath, and took as much of Crocodile into his mouth as he could.

"Ah…" rumbled Crocodile, in what sounded like pleasure.

Zoro could feel him getting harder inside his mouth, and had to concentrate to avoid gagging. But hearing Crocodile's breath and glancing up to see his expression was really turning him on, he sucked harder.

"Nnfh…" Crocodile grunted, and his head fell back.

Zoro redoubled his efforts, bobbing up and down and drawing louder and louder gasps from his partner. But finally, Crocodile pushed him back by the shoulder. Zoro looked up at him with a frown, wanting to try more things. But when he saw Crocodile's expression, some of his need to beat him slipped away. Crocodile's pale countenance now had reddened cheeks, almost as if he had a fever. His cruel expression had melted into one of tortured enjoyment. His lips, normally downturned in distaste, were now parted softly, and soft gasps came between them. His eyes were pleading.

"You win. I can't do any more. Come here."

Zoro hesitantly rose to Crocodile's level and let him drag him back into a deep kiss. When they parted, Zoro made a face. "I can taste me," he complained.

Crocodile snarled. "You think I like it any more than you do? Shut your mouth."

Saying so, he promptly did it for him, at the same time grabbing Zoro's ass and making him gasp. Not knowing anything about gay sex, Zoro was totally unprepared when Crocodile long middle finger began to caress his asshole.

Zoro yelped and stared down at him. "What the hell?" he demanded.

Crocodile looked a bit surprised. "Oh, hell," he grumbled after a moment. "I thought you'd at least understand the mechanics." He sighed.

Zoro was too confused even to mount a reply, but fortunately Crocodile spotted this.

"Wait here a second," he said, trying to be patient. "I'll show you something."

Crocodile got up and left him for a moment, heading into the bathroom while brazenly naked. Zoro blushed while watching him. Crocodile's body was way too masculine and sexy. The croc returned with a bottle of some kind in his hand.

He gave another annoyed sigh. "You're going to have to do some of the work. Sorry," he said, waving his left stump sardonically.

Zoro hesitantly nodded.

Crocodile sat on the bed and to Zoro's surprise, managed to open the bottle and pour some of the contents into his palm quite smoothly with only his right hand. Then Crocodile met his gaze for a moment.

"Get on all fours and face away from me."

Zoro thought about this and then blushed. "Do what?" he asked incredulously.

In reply, Crocodile merely waved his stump at him with a deadpan expression.

Zoro gritted his teeth while helplessly blushing, and had a nagging suspicion that Crocodile was taking advantage of his pity, but he did as he was asked. Next, he was totally shocked when he felt a kiss against his asshole.

"Ah!" he cried. "What the hell are you doing?!"

"Shut the fuck up and you'll find out. This is gay sex, moron."

Zoro blushed, and during the time it took him to comprehend that statement, a tongue slipped inside of him. "Ahh!" he cried, arching his back. It was really strange, but the weirdest part was that it felt good. That wasn't a place that was meant to feel good, as far as Zoro knew. Yet the more Crocodile's dexterous tongue dug inside him, the more his resistance crumbled.

At length Crocodile removed his tongue to say, "You're good. Most guys it takes a lot longer the first time. Hang on."

The next thing Zoro knew, he felt something gooey being rubbed against him back there. Next, Crocodile's hand briefly moved down to rub Zoro's cock with the same substance. Zoro shuddered and almost lost the strength in his arms. Crocodile massaged his asshole with the stuff for a while, and finally he inserted a finger inside of Zoro.

Zoro grunted. There was a small amount of pain at first. But to his surprise, it disappeared almost immediately. Was he crazy to be doing this? Was it right to feel pleasure this way? Zoro's thoughts were suddenly halted when a shock of pleasure almost made him lose his breath.

"Ah!" he cried, falling to one elbow. He panted, regaining his control. "What…" he muttered.

A dark laugh. "Found it. That's your prostate. Almost all guys feel it there. You're feeling it on the first time though, that's pretty fucking cool."

Zoro gritted his teeth, feeling somehow ashamed. "I'm not trying to impress you."

At that, he felt Crocodile's mirth fade. The older man was quiet for a moment, then said in a softer voice, "Don't worry. You wouldn't have to try very hard, if you wanted to."

Zoro blinked. That almost made Crocodile sound like he was…

Then Zoro felt another finger slowly move inside him. He gasped. There was hardly any pain, but he was starting to feel numb back there, and also a strange surge of pleasure that he couldn't account for. Obviously he'd never had gay sex before (or any kind), but he was pretty sure Crocodile was good at it. In that case…maybe it wasn't so strange that he was feeling good. Maybe he could just relax, and…

"Ah!" Zoro cried, as Crocodile's long fingers struck his prostate again. Now Zoro did fall to his elbows, and didn't notice as his hips began to thrust up to meet the movements of Crocodile's fingers.

"Feeling good?" Crocodile asked him, with his former impudent grin.

Zoro bit back his anger. "Shut…up!"

Crocodile's face took on a deep frown. "I'm not making fun of you," he continued, in his soft voice from before. "I want to know if I'm making you feel good. Am I?"

Zoro had to let go of a little pride while he even considered answering that question. After all, even now he was being teased and coaxed into a helpless object of pleasure. It wasn't easy for him to admit that. But something in the older man's tone made him believe him. "Y-yes…" Zoro murmured.

Crocodile smiled. "Okay then. Just a little more."

Now he slipped in a third finger. Zoro shuddered with a gasp. Again, hardly any pain this time, but his asshole was feeling very weird. He could feel Crocodile's fingers stroking him inside, sending warm surges up his spine and driving out his practical thoughts. His whole back end felt numb and hot with pleasure. Then he felt Crocodile's fingers slide slowly out of him.

He turned back to look with concern, wondering why he had stopped. As he did, Crocodile bent down over him, and held him across the chest with his stump. He looked Zoro in the eyes for a moment, then softly kissed his back. This sent an unwarranted thrill through Zoro's chest. His heart was beating even harder in his ears. Why was that gesture so incredible?

As Zoro was thinking this, he felt some pressure against his ass. Then he felt himself being stretched. He gritted his teeth, feeling some pain again. Something large was coming inside him. In a few moments, it was deep enough that it felt like his insides were somehow being pushed aside, and Zoro was panting and now and then biting back dull pain. He breathed through it and it soon got better, but then he realized that Crocodile wasn't moving. He glanced back at him.

Crocodile had on that tight expression from when Zoro was sucking him off. It really wasn't until he saw this that Zoro made the connection that Crocodile was really inside him now. His eyes were closed and he was breathing deeply as if to calm himself down. At length, he opened his eyes and met Zoro's gaze.

"Does it hurt a lot?"

Zoro thought about it. He shook his head. "Just at first. It's not so bad now."

Crocodile smirked. "That's good to hear. It'll start to feel even better soon. Stick with me now," he said.

Slowly, he dragged his length out of Zoro, then pushed it inside again. Zoro breathed through the pain, and true to Crocodile's word, it soon began to disappear. Far from pain, soon a deep pleasure that he'd never known before started bubbling up inside of him. Somehow, even being the receiver like this was touching a part of him he'd never known. He had to be careful. He didn't know what falling in love felt like, so he didn't know to be cautious.

Zoro began to pant loudly, as Crocodile's cock made deeper and faster strokes inside of him. He started hitting Zoro's weak point every time, causing the other made to tremble and cry out.

He grabbed Zoro tight against him, still thrusting hard and whispered in his ear, "Swordsman…say my name…"

Zoro tried to talk through his moans. "You…say mine…first…!" he cried.

Crocodile's thrusts grew slower for a moment. "Roronoa," he said, with a trace of hesitation.

"No…" Zoro murmured.

He felt Crocodile's fingers tighten against his hips. Then Crocodile gave his spine a deep kiss and whispered, "Zoro…"

"Ah!" Zoro cried, suddenly having to fight back the urge to cum. "Croco…dile…!"

All at once, Crocodile gripped Zoro's hips and rammed himself deep inside him at incredible speed. Zoro's voice rose up loudly, though he struggled to form coherent words. He felt like he was losing his mind. There was still a trace of discomfort, but somehow that only made the pleasure more intense. He'd never felt like this before.

"Crocodile!" Zoro cried again.

Without easing up on his pace, Crocodile bent down and grabbed Zoro's cock.

"Ah!" Zoro moaned, arching his back.

Crocodile hardly had to move his hand, because Zoro's hips were thrusting against it, and equally hard against Crocodile's own hips. Then Crocodile's gasps became more audible, and Zoro could just here his voice in desperate grunts. Zoro couldn't hold out much longer.

Finally Crocodile whispered one final time, "Zoro…!"

Zoro threw back his head with a cry, and in moments, he filled Crocodile's hand with cum. Crocodile slowed down for a moment, allowing Zoro to rest, but then he seemed unable to stop. He held him tight against him and pounded several more times, and with one last hard thrust against Zoro's hips, Zoro felt warmth pool in his gut. Zoro gasped in disbelief, but he felt his strength rapidly fading.

Together, they slowly collapsed against the bed. Zoro still had his back to Crocodile, and Crocodile still held him in his arms. Neither was able to speak for quite a long time.

Finally, it was Crocodile who broke the silence. "It wasn't too bad, right?"

Zoro raised his eyebrows. "Well, not that I have anything to compare it to, but you kind of blew my freakin' mind. So, yeah, not too bad."

A long pause. "Hm."

Slow though he was, Zoro was starting to figure out the meaning behind Crocodile's slightly out of character behavior. He smiled, and let himself relax a bit. Once he did, he felt comfortable warmth around him, and he liked that feeling.

"When the rest of those idiots get here," he said. "We're heading into the New World." He turned to smirk back at Crocodile. "I assume I'll see you there?"

Zoro may have been mistaken, but he was sure that the displeased expression that Crocodile showed as he said that was tinged with a blush. "If you're lucky."

Zoro smirked again. "Well then. While we're at it, you want to show me some more moves, oh practiced older gentleman?"

The trace of happiness in Crocodile's face vanished completely. "What did you say, pipsqueak?" he snarled. "You're damn right I will."


End file.
